From two years of growth, the Laidlaw Scholarship has been a remarkably transformational experience for me. Even considered informally, reflecting back on the programme I am surprised to realise that I started by applying for very different reasons than those which I now value most, developed over the course of two summers and many days between. Initially starting out by noticing an interest in a niche intersection between several subjects, I had decided to explore this interest through searching my department where I could research this more productively; the Laidlaw Programme has provided far more than this, shifting my outlook from a narrow research focus to opening up a vast range of opportunities. Writing the body of this review, I can point out in my reflections that these challenges have improved how I work beyond the library or lab; not only towards becoming a more experienced researcher, but towards gaining a more grounded, outgoing, and self-aware approach outlook in general.

Winding back to the first term of first year the first time in a new place, the exact proportions of what I was taking on are increasingly daunting in retrospect. Taking on the application process, I approached a few lecturers who I had known at that point only for a short while; I am deeply grateful to Dr Sally Street in particular, who was very helpful in redirecting me towards my final chosen project. Working on the application in the University Library Café, or while dressing up to prepare for the interview stage, I had little idea that my words and interest would unlock a wealth of opportunities and challenges – let alone the additional stresses of working under Covid conditions. When the email came through that I had in fact been accepted, this was suddenly brought into sharp focus. My reasoning for applying to the programme is evident looking back on my application and initial reflections; I was keen to do something different and entirely outside of my comfort zone, to try and make the most of the university experience outside of the conventional student experience, alongside sport, societies, and social events. Reading through my application I can clearly identify how both my outlook has changed towards becoming more open to ideas and less rigid in decisions; in hindsight, dressing formally to an almost comical extent for the interview was perfect visual representation of my naivety and tense response to the situation, although it certainly helped feel professional at the time.

My research was initially encouraged and eventually supervised by Dr Jamie Tehrani, to whom I am eternally grateful to for his advice and feedback. The research period may have been the most conventionally difficult period of the entire experience, with my initial plans and submission changed almost entirely by the constraints of the pandemic; instead of being able to interact with participants, I began mapping oral histories online and examining secondary sources of ethnographic and qualitative data to support or criticise current understandings of how oral history is transmitted accurately over (in some cases) thousands of years. While difficult to complete, the research I was able to do was fascinating, with a huge range of narrative and mnemonic techniques that ensured information was passed across and down through social structures. Having to rearrange contacts and search for increasingly remote texts and accounts was at times a painfully slow process, but this soon became worthwhile as the notes for my poster started to come together. Not only that, but the opportunity to form networks across a range of groups interested in a relatively small area became increasingly central to the experience; from different departments and intersecting research projects to finding new people passionate about oral history in locations I had previously not considered. Although I still reflect back on how the research could have gone differently, or where I could have focused on further or sooner in the process, the opportunities that have come up during research have been simply incredible. One, the Anansi Project, an oral history mapping and cataloguing project run between several universities in Europe and the US has become part of my progression into the new school year; with several thousand characters now encoded, It has been richly rewarding to include the knowledge and skills from my research project applied to a larger collaborative entity. The meetings we have had here have likewise showcased the elements I enjoyed most from the Laidlaw Programme where it was possible, discussing analysis and critiques of both the project structure and the data output with colleagues globally. Although I am satisfied with the final research poster I was able to produce, I am still working to produce a more thorough analysis which has already led me to explore other ideas, noting down titles for potential articles or blog posts I am hoping to cover in the near future.

For the duration of the Leadership in Action portion of my Laidlaw experience, I was fortunate to spend time working with Parliamentarians for the Global Goals (PfGG); PfGG actively convenes and connects Parliamentarians with a global network of sustainable development efforts to build collaboration and implementation of the UN SDGs. This happily allowed me to transfer many of the research skills and local knowledge I had developed through the previous summer into  an ongoing project, but additionally provided a unique kind of space to develop attributes that would be useful in leadership and management. During the experience, my summer leadership and research application project was focused on two main challenges; firstly, mapping the implementation and methods behind projects achieving success to understand where challenges could be resolved, and secondly to design a system for essentially ‘vetting’ these catalogued projects. This project catalogue would then be accessible through the website system designed by one of my Laidlaw colleagues, integrating the vetting system and the search function for a hopefully smooth and intuitive experience when the site is eventually built.  Additionally, I was involved with building a list of parliamentarians to approach over SDG development within the countries mapped. Building on my research from the first summer, for the mapping sessions I focused on Oceania building a portfolio on Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa. The mapping process involved a combination of literature reviews, statistical analysis, and reflective observations to make connections and suggestions for the eventual product. Perhaps the most interesting moment for me (aside from the research itself) was first meeting the group as a whole, in particular interacting with other Laidlaw scholars from different institutions. Witnessing the leadership style of founder Kirsten Brosbøl at the outset, and the continual enthusiasm of supervisors Léna Belly-Le Guilloux and Bora Sefa was particularly inspiring for how our team should set about our own work, as it was their reflexive management that allowed much of the work to be completed in ever-changing workplace.

The opportunity to work for an NGO with a highly flexible, detail-orientated, and at times rapidly changing environment has been fascinating; within the confines of the brief there has been extensive room to explore the influences and challenges that factor into which SDGs are most easily implemented, with variables ranging from socioeconomic status to topography and geology. It has been particularly interesting to apply practices from both Anthropology and the previous research to look at development from an outside perspective, and particularly to understand where resistance to SDGs at both a local and parliamentary level stems from. Perhaps to a greater extent however, the project involved strict personal time management and direction; seeing many of the group take the initiative on more ambitious research methods and contacting parliamentary members directly led to a sense of creativity and teamwork, despite a distinct separation in our work locations and the locations we worked on.  I am still quite proud of the moment I was allowed to send an email directly to a parliamentary member of another nation on behalf of the project, not only as an achievement but as a moment that felt that taking the initiative had produced a positive outcome. I clearly remember blurting out my ‘speak first, feel embarrassed later’ answer during the interview to the question of which real or fictional leaders do I look up to as ‘Jean Luc Picard’ (Star Trek: TNG continues to be a go-to recommendation), and to use a potentially cliched metaphor there were certainly times where collaborating on the same digital project felt like dealing with fires as they flared on different decks; however, the PfGG experience likewise allowed me to manage different roles flexibly, with my work changing from research, to mapping, to designing, to discussion over a matter of weeks. I am keen to work in a similarly energetic and fascinating office again in the near future.

Some elements of the project were notably difficult, working largely independently on an online environment due to Covid restrictions in particular exacerbated elements of stress, with all communication completed electronically. At times I struggled with the responsibility placed on me during the periods between contact hours and meetings, especially in terms of time management and organisation; while I found myself deeply enjoying the research elements, the leadership in dictating time managements and working across scholars was at times an uncomfortable experience. Some of the report I found myself still not entirely happy with, summarising something which could have been covered in far more detail. However, I deeply enjoyed bringing graphic elements to the poster and attempting to communicate ideas from complex and wordy papers into a simple format; previously I and other student (occasionally even professors) in social science disciplines have used several words where one would suffice. Even editing this review, the tendency to use long and winding sentences is evident! But the format of a poster helped deliver a clear and concise version of both the research and the presentation we gave during a cohort meet; another aspect of the Laidlaw programme that I am deeply grateful for. Although meeting was limited both by the pandemic and technology, where the opportunity arose to communicate within the cohort about our respective projects it was fascinating to glimpse other scholar’s projects. In both these individual leadership seminars and the leadership experience itself I enjoyed getting to know an amazing group of people,  and although covid prohibited many opportunities these online sessions were categorically valuable.

The Leadership in Action section of the experience was almost certainly the area I was most apprehensive about participating in, partly due to a lack of prior experience in leadership in a professional setting, but also as on most project I prefer to work alongside others instead of traditional project management. Over the course of the summer and particularly the several leadership sessions I have begun to realise that I was approaching leadership from a negative angle. The leadership styles I instead discovered happily worked with my current outlook and instead enhanced areas of my skillset that I identify with; instead of barking orders or commanding rank and file, my experience with the Parliamentarians for the Global Goals group involved both management of the self and taking initiative with others to produce a collective outcome, mirrored in the empathetic approach of our supervisors. Here, clear skillset wove between flexible roles on a nearly daily basis, but with think the Leadership in Action experience has not only helped me to develop as a potential leader in the future, but also to help me realise the kind of work environment I would be keen to apply to. On top of the LIA experience, the series of several talks and experiences that are still ongoing as I write this review have been inspirational, with the ethics and leadership seminar in particular sparking interest in workplace culture.

Considering mentoring and acting as ambassadors for the programme, I was fortunate to get stuck in early with Durham’s own DLSO executive, currently affiliated with the Careers and Enterprise Centre. Yet again, the opportunities to promote or renew interest on campus as a Recruitment Officer were curtailed by the restrictions of the time, and as with many other societies I am yet to meet all of the exec in-person, I believe we made good progress in encouraging more individuals from an increasingly diverse background, both academically and by other metrics, to apply to the programme. We are currently working to continue this momentum beyond our own graduation from the programme. Considering my role critically, there may be adjustments that would allow the next officer to make more effective use of the resources available, including more on-campus visibility; however, this will also come in time. My main contribution I feel has been interacting with students as student myself, whom applicants for the cohort after me approached for information and advice. Although I was reluctant to advise on applications, I think the comfort and interest of meeting someone who had gone through the process before went a long way in encouraging participation. Having worked on my own departmental mentoring programme, I would be intrigued to introduce more elements like this into the Laidlaw experience; the lack of contact between scholars and occasionally supervisors was perhaps the single most challenging aspect of working under covid conditions.

While I have no regrets from my experience with the Laidlaw Programme, there are areas that I have not yet had that I am keen to pursue in the near future. As much of the research was conducted during both periods under Covid-19 restrictions there was little opportunity to visit archives or interact with individuals as I had hoped. Likewise, my original plans of continuing my research at another Laidlaw-affiliated institution in the second year – coming so close as to find out about accommodation options - never came to fruition. However, in the process of seeking out these options and being turned away has not only resolved me to try new things in a different way but built up the all-important network of passionate individuals that I would be delighted to work with again in the future. When it becomes possible to travel again, I would be very keen to attend conferences involved in the area my project was undertaken in and potentially meet many of the people I have been fortunate to discuss ideas with – a quick shoutout here to my colleagues on the Scholars’ Network who took the time to share their mutual interest, your discussions helped rejuvenate and fuel the writing stage more than any motivational playlist or similar break. I have also been able to take my research work forward in conjunction with the Laidlaw programme. Early in the second summer I was asked by my supervisor if I would be interested in becoming a research volunteer for what was in part a more substantial, collaborative, and detailed catalogue in the style I had collated the stories from, something I am still amazed by and proud to have participated in. This experience would not have been possible had it not been for the first summer of research and the generosity of the Laidlaw Foundation.

In the future I feel the programme will help me to approach projects in a more developed and mature way. While reflecting back on adjustments I have made over the course of the programme, what is highlighted is a shift from overly formal interactions and professional distance to a more relaxed and interactive approach; this I believe has allowed me to develop further relationships than I perhaps would have been able back in first year. Alongside the many people and groups I have been fortunate to meet, and whom I hope to approach in the future, I feel the programme has also equipped me with further research and evaluation skills than my degree and the purely academic environment. While it would have been fantastic to interact with other scholars in real life, the Laidlaw Scholars Network has afforded communication across borders and limitations, and will certainly be a platform I intend to continue engaging with where possible; likewise, I feel that similar tools ranging from Slack to R that I had previously used but began utilising further under the external research project has equipped me with technical - as well as social - knowledge on how people communicate effectively online. While personally this felt ironically fitting given my research focus on narrative transmission, these skills are also increasingly critical in the hybrid workplace, and I am intrigued to take them forward. Overwhelmingly, the leadership elements and specifically the programmes focusing on ethics have been compelling; I am hoping to consider carefully the elements picked up over these two years, and to find new ways to apply them within mine and other’s everyday lives.

On the whole, there are very few suggestions I would make for the programme in the future. Although the experience was not quite what had been set out during the application, the constraints set by Covid were expertly worked around in a sympathetic manner. The paramount importance of clear communication became apparent during the course of the programme, and while it was possible to keep on top of the workload keeping track of dates and times has been far more difficult – I am keen to see if there were any planning strategies that would help mitigate this in the future. While personally I would have changed the way I approached some of the research and the application this time around, this is absolutely a case of hindsight being much clearer than discerning forward. On the other hand, I am keen to participate more, to perhaps create a group dedicated to this area and the breadth of research that is still to be explored; as a suggestion, I am quietly hopeful about putting this and similar research-inspired ideas forward. To conclude my time on the programme, in typing these reflections I have also become more keenly aware of these experiences and making the absolute most of them; I am looking forward to finding out where this may lead.